West Virginia University basketball coach Bob Huggins put the final, permanent tarnish on what could have been a distinguished coaching career when he used an anti-gay slur during the Bill Cunningham show Monday afternoon.
Huggins, a former University of Cincinnati coach from 1989-2005, called Xavier University fans "Catholic f--s" during a segment on Cunningham's show, aptly named "The Stooge Report." Moments before making the slur Huggins referenced an incident in which "rubber penises" were thrown on the court during a Crosstown Shootout game between UC and Xavier.
Cunningham joked about the game being "transgender night." They both had a good laugh.
No one is laughing now.
West Virginia University should show Huggins the door for his hateful comments. Huggins is no stranger to controversy. He was fired from UC in 2005 after video surfaced of an embarrassing DUI traffic stop. It's tough to see how West Virginia could continue to let Huggins represent the school after this.
And if 700 WLW-AM truly feels remorseful, then station management needs to give serious consideration about whether it's time for Cunningham to step away from the mic. After former Reds announcer Thom Brennaman was ousted from that job for using a homophobic slur during a broadcast, it was stunning to hear Cunningham laughing in response to the slur and making fun of transgender people.
Both the university and the radio station need to send a clear message that hate speech will not be tolerated. This is not about cancel culture, some "woke" narrative or limiting freedom of speech. It is about human decency and good taste − two things increasingly in short supply these days.
There's nothing funny about disparaging LGBTQ people or exploiting people's anger, fears and grievances for entertainment and ratings. Hateful language coming from prominent people with huge megaphones resonates and gives others license to be homophobic and mean-spirited − maybe even violent.
[ Jason Williams:The complex tale of former Cincinnati Bearcats coach Bob Huggins ]
The fact that Huggins felt comfortable enough to spout such toxicity on WLW's airwaves implies he thought he was speaking to a receptive audience. He may have had good reason to think that. Cunningham's stock and trade is stirring the pot daily with outrageous and controversial statements, and he routinely invites people on his show who do the same. Cunningham's list of inflammatory statements include saying Barack Obama's father left him when he was two years old because he "acted the way a Black father normally acts, which is quickly have a baby and leave." During a 2013 appearance on Sean Hannity's Fox News show, Cunningham yelled at a female news contributor to "Know your role and shut your mouth." And in 2008, he was called out by a Washington, D.C.-based media watchdog group as "a purveyor of hate speech."
Through it all, WLW's management has been either unwilling or ineffective in reining Cunningham in when he's crossed the line. It remains to be seen if this time will be any different.
To be fair, Cunningham can't be held responsible for Huggins' tasteless, off-the-cuff pejoratives. In fact, he seemed to pause momentarily, indicating he recognized the verbal grenade Huggins had lobbed into their conversation. But instead of challenging Huggins, utilizing a 10-second delay to omit the comment or simply ending the interview, Cunningham continued, laughing throughout and ending the segment by saying, "He's the best," in reference to Huggins. That's simply inexcusable. So is the fact that neither he nor station management issued an immediate apology.
Huggins' apology issued Monday after the incident, while necessary, still rings hollow. Especially when you consider a 2020 tweet from the coach that references a speech Brennaman made to Huggins' players in Morgantown two months after his firing.
"His message isn't one of excuses but one of accountability," Huggins tweeted. "It takes courage to confront mistakes head on and I believe our guys learned that from his time with us."
His players might have learned from Brennaman's missteps, but Huggins not so much. Now, it likely will cost him his job and reputation. Maybe Cunningham's, too.
In his apology, Huggins said he makes no excuses for his abhorrent behavior. Neither should anyone else. There's no place in Cincinnati for hate or those who spew and give it comfort.
Opinion and Engagement Editor Kevin S. Aldridge writes this on behalf of The Enquirer's editorial board, which includes Editor Beryl Love, Senior News Director of Content Jackie Borchardt and community board members Rachel Citak, Jackie Congedo and Mack Mariani.
